APRIL 7

Born Again to Love

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 1:22-2:3

If you’re a believer in Christ you’ve been born again to love like Jesus.  The Word of God has made a wonderful change in you.  You heard “the good news which was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:25).  And through the “living and abiding word of God” you were born again (1 Peter 1:23).  It is as Matthew Henry has commented, “The word of God is the great means of regeneration. The grace of regeneration is conveyed by the gospel.  This new and second birth is much more desirable and excellent than the first. This the apostle teaches by preferring the incorruptible to the corruptible seed. By the one we become the children of men, by the other the sons and daughters of the Most High.”

In obedience to the truth your soul has been purified for a “sincere brotherly love (1 Peter 1:22).  Previously, in sin, your life was characterized by such things as “malice…deceit and hypocrisy and envy and…slander” (1 Peter 2:1).  But in your obedient response to the truth you experienced an internal, supernatural cleansing, such that your heart was purified and radically changed.  You were born again to walk in “newness of life” (Romans 6:4).   And an integral aspect of your new life in Christ is a newfound desire and ability to love like Jesus.

Our love for one another is to be characterized by two traits.  It is to be sincere, meaning genuine, authentic, and without pretense.  And we are to “love one another earnestly” (1 Peter 1:22).  The term translated earnestly was an athletic term conveying the idea of striving with all of one’s effort and was used to describe a runner straining and stretching to the limit.  Used here the thought is we should be stretching ourselves to the limit in our determination to love others selflessly and sacrificially.  

The ability of the Word of God to work its transformative power is reinforced to us again in 1 Peter 2:1-2.  As we put away the sins that characterized our old manner of life, we are to “long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2).  As newborn babies long for mama’s milk, we long for the pure milk of the Word.  Babies need milk to grow, we need the pure milk of the Word to grow up in Christ.  The Word is powerful to save and to transform (1 Thessalonians 2:13).  As the Word of God richly abides in us, it works to change us from the inside-out, and leads us to learn to love like Jesus (Colossians 3:16).

In 1789, a group of mutineers put their officers on a longboat, took control of the H.M.S. Bounty, and sailed to Tahiti to enjoy a comfortable life. Fearing punishment, some of them, along with several Polynesians, later moved to uninhabited Pitcairn Island and burned the ship so there would be no evidence. Despite the South Pacific paradise-like setting, sexual immorality, jealousy, anger, alcohol, and disease took their toll, until there was only one Englishman, ten women and many children left. The remaining Englishman, Alexander Smith, discovered a Bible in the ship’s goods and thankfully, the next-to-last man had taught him to read before he died. Smith studied the Word, decided it held the answer to the community’s problems and initiated Sunday worship and daily prayer times for the remaining people. In 1808, an American ship happened upon the island and was surprised to discover a thriving group of 35 English speaking Christians. Indeed, the Word of God is powerful to save and transform lives! And grow us up in Jesus that we might love like Him.

The Word of God is Powerful to Save and Transform Lives

Heavenly Father.  How thankful we are for Your living and abiding Word!  In these difficult times, how good it is to be protected by your unchanging truth from the changing whims of culture and deceitful schemes of the evil one.  Through Your Word you’ve caused us to be born again.  Praise You for making that miraculous change in us.  You’ve called us to a sincere and fervent love for our brothers and sisters.  Forgive us for falling short of your design far too often.  You’ve already shown us how the Word can work to make such a dramatic change in us, may we now long for the Word even as a newborn babe, that we might grow up into salvation.  That we might love like Jesus.  That You might be honored in our lives.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Author: looking2jesus13

Jerry L. Conklin was born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for six years in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program. He was assigned to the USS *Omaha* (SSN-692), a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, where he served as a reactor-plant electrical operator. His military service took him to ports and locations throughout the world and provided extensive technical training, leadership experience, and an enduring appreciation for those who serve in the Armed Forces. Following his Navy service, Jerry earned a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Technology from Thomas Edison State University. He worked at the Trojan Nuclear Plant near Rainier, Oregon, first as a reactor operator and later as a training specialist. After sensing God’s call to pastoral ministry, he left the nuclear-power industry and earned a master’s degree in theology from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Jerry served for twenty-seven and a half years as senior pastor of Lewis and Clark Bible Church in Astoria, Oregon. During those years, he preached and taught the Scriptures, provided pastoral counseling, performed weddings and memorial services, trained church leaders, and served individuals and families throughout the community. He also served as a fire department chaplain and participated in a variety of community ministries. After retiring from full-time pastoral ministry, Jerry and his wife, Laura, moved to Heppner, Oregon. There he served for approximately four years as a chaplain with Pioneer Memorial Home Health and Hospice, providing spiritual and emotional support to more than 150 patients and their families. In 2023, the Oregon Association for Home Care honored him as its Chaplain of the Year. Jerry also helped establish South Morrow County Seniors Matter, a nonprofit organization created to address the needs of older adults following the COVID-19 pandemic. As chairman, he worked with community leaders and volunteers to develop a weekly senior meal program, a monthly veterans’ lunch, and other activities and services. The organization served hundreds of seniors, mobilized more than 200 volunteers, and received statewide and national recognition. In 2025, Jerry was named Heppner’s Man of the Year, and his community service was later recognized by United States Senator Jeff Merkley. International missions have also been an important part of Jerry’s ministry. He has made ten trips to Uganda, where he has taught at pastors’ conferences, preached in churches, participated in Bible-school graduations, distributed Bibles and Christian materials, and encouraged local pastors and ministry leaders. He developed the discipleship booklet *First Steps with Jesus* to help new believers understand and grow in their faith. Jerry is the author of numerous books, Bible studies, devotionals, and teaching resources, including works centered on prayer, Christian hope, spiritual growth, and the person of Jesus Christ. His decades of preaching and teaching reflect his commitment to presenting biblical truth clearly, practically, and faithfully. Jerry and Laura were married for nearly forty-two years and raised four children. They were also blessed with three grandchildren. Laura passed away in August 2025 following an eight-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Jerry currently lives in Hillsboro, where he helps care for his elderly father. He continues to preach, teach, write, and serve others through pastoral and community ministry.

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